New: Scottish Linen Review

Wrap: Oscha Slings Alto Mivida, size 7 and Eesti shoulder ring sling
Fiber: 50% organic combed cotton / 50% Scottish linen 233gsm
Wrapper/Reviewer: Anne Rush (started wrapping in August 2014)
Wrappee: 24.5lb. / 19m old

Aesthetics: At first I worried about the colour based solely upon the photos. It appeared somewhere between a pastel and a neutral pink. I trend more toward bold colors and especially dislike pinks due to an overbearing older brother insisting it was a “sissy color growing up. Upon receiving the piece, I was relieved to discover the color – while still in the pink range – was more toward the darker range and almost a Georgia clay or pink limestone color. Upon consultation with friends – was dubbed an antique rose.

I had been warned by the previous owner that the clouds on Mivida were smaller than normal. I found this to be accurate and personally felt the smaller clouds particularly fit this colorway; the coloring lends itself to an image of a desert sky at sunset where the clouds are more sparse and less full.

Qualities: The first thing I noticed was Mivida's thinness. Compared with my other Oscha linen blend wraps; I was also struck by Mivida's softness. My only other Oscha 50% linen / 50% cotton that I have received new was Sekai Aozora. Compared to Aozora, Mivida seemed to break in significantly faster. In hand, Mivida had little to no “cush when squeezed and very low diagonal stretch. This was on par with all the other 50% linen blends that I have tried. The clouds provided a very light amount of texture as one passed one's hand over it – just enough to promise no slip while wrapping but still allow for a lovely glide while executing multi-pass carries.

Mivida impressed me even more in wrapping qualities. My wrapping quality preferences are for wraps which are thin, soft, smooth or very low textured, with low to mid-stretch and good breathability while still providing excellent support. Mivida fired on almost all these qualities but for stretch – which no to low stretch tends to remain constant for 50% linen / 50% cotton across all the brands I have used so I associate with the blend itself, not with any failing in a wrap.

To assess Mivida's wrapping qualities in relation to its differently source linen content, I specifically tested it alongside Oscha Sekai Aozora 7 (standard linen) and Oscha Strato Muscovado (wet spun linen). I tried to control as many variables as possible.

Though the newest and least worn of the wraps, Mivida was the most supple in wrapping. Her smooth cotton “wrong side provided excellent glide while executing back passes. I had identical difficulty executing a snug chest pass along the top rail in all three wraps and had to fold them down to achieve snugness. None of the three had what I consider cush, all lay very flat on my shoulders. I was quite pleased to find that Mivida had not one hint of digginess during our carry.

Regarding moldability, My past experience with linen blends generally have been that until well broken in, they are less moldable even with good tightening and have small slack pockets that reveal themselves during a carry as the wrap relaxes from the tension and warmth of being used. I found that to be true of all three wraps. However, for Mivida and Aozora, I got the impression that with continued use and breaking in, that they would soften and tighten better and eliminate this problem – which was my experience from prior use of Oscha Alto Eventide. Related to this, all three were very supportive. Even with the pockets of slack loosening as the wrap relaxed during the wear, I would not consider any of them saggy. That being said, there were definitely noticeable variances in supportiveness. On a scale of 1 to 10, Aozora would be a 7.5; Mivida a 9; and Muscovado a 10 – and this despite Mivida's being the thinnest of the three.

Finally to my favorite and most surprising result from the test, for breathability / temperature regulation, with Mivida, I had no temperature discomfort. It breathed much better and kept extra heat from being trapped with me and my wrappee.

After unwrapping, I assessed my final point of interest – wrinkling. I love standard Oscha linen but for one issue… the wrinkles.. Aozora displayed the expected “wrinkle monster set of wrinkles just from the test wear. Mivida – though definitely wrinkled – was significantly less wrinkled than Aozora. Muscovado had the least wrinkling issues which is consistent with my experience with wetspun linen.

This is an excellent wrap or ring sling for newborns through toddlers. The softness and promise of moldability will be wonderful for a newborn while the high support level will allow it to transition well to use for bigger kids.

Alto Mivida Wrapping Qualities Overview:
Thin (1) vs. Thick (10) - 3
Coarse (1) vs. Soft (10) - 9
Airy (1) vs. Dense (10) - 3
Smooth (1) vs. Texture (10) - 3
Slip (1) vs. Lock (10) - 5
Solid (1) vs. Stretch (10) - 2
Stiff (1) vs. Moldable (10) - 6
Flat (1) vs. Cushy (10) - 2
Narrow (1) vs. Wide (10) – 5
Saggy (1) vs. Supportive (10) – 9
Slip in RS: none (1) vs. significant (10) – 1
Passes through RS rings: glides with no issues (1) vs. bunches or flips (10) - 2

This is an excellent wrap or ring sling for newborns through toddlers. The softness and promise of moldability will be wonderful for a newborn while the high support level will allow it to transition well to use for bigger kids.